your urine colour is the best and simple indicator of your hydration level
clear good yellow ok dark dehydrated.

"Ted Wagner" wrote in message
news:1112076245.44e43d9ddc500211f5708085c473e848@t eranews...
This observation motivated by the recent discussion on hydration.

Just under a year ago I started my x/c career in Arizona, flying at
Estrella and Turf. Needless to say these are not cool places in the
summer. When the weather turned hot (which was in mid-April last year) I
followed the conventional wisdom of "you can't drink too much water". In
June and July I was drinking a gallon of water while rigging and another
quart during lunch. While flying I would knock off a 100-ounce Camelbak
and most of a second one.

But I experienced a consistent problem: in the latter part of my flights,
I would get dizzy, disoriented, and nauseous. At least one flight was
aborted prematurely because I just didn't feel fit to walk or talk, much
less fly.

When I shared my experiences with a couple of seasoned Arizona pilots,
they independently pointed out to me that drinking too much water can
cause an electrolyte imbalance in the body, leading to the symptoms I
described. They suggested drinking a quart of two of Gatorade as needed
during rigging, and while flying, drink regularly but don't drink water
just for the sake of drinking water. This routine worked wonderfully.
(Thank you 1X and 190!)

What surprised me about that whole water consumption episode was that it
was the second time I went through it. The first was a year or two prior
when I complained to a fitness instructor about headaches and dizziness
when working out. She asked me in detail about my diet and water drinking
habits. Her diagnosis was surprising: I was overhydrated! Her
unconventional but completely logical advice was to treat water like food.
That is, listen to the body: eat in moderation when hungry (but don't wait
until you're too hungry), drink in moderation when thirsty (but don't wait
until too thirsty). Be reasonable with both. As it is possible to eat too
much food, it is possible to drink too much water. When I followed her
advice the problems quickly went away.

So, if you're a new pilot bent on not being one of those who get hurt
after getting dehydrated, keep in mind that overhydration can be just as
dangerous. Use common sense. Sip Gatorade while rigging. Don't wait until
your thirsty to drink, but don't drink just for the sake of drinking.
There is a happy medium.

Ted in Chandler
Hph 304CZ "2NO"